


A Favor From A Friend

by orphan_account



Series: How to Fall In Love With A Human [13]
Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Crossover, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-12
Updated: 2016-01-12
Packaged: 2018-05-13 07:52:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5700724
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account





	A Favor From A Friend

Around lunchtime that day, an exchange played out over Kara’s phone:

12:04 pm  
_Clark:  Kara are you OK?_

12:05  
Kara: Yes   
Kara:  Actually, no.  Why?  
_Clark:  Wondering if you needed me_

12:10  
Kara:  Did you ever think about leaving Metropolis?    
_Clark:  Yeah_  
_Clark:  I did it once in fact_  
_Clark:  Quit doing the whole thing for a while_  
Kara:  Rly?  
_Clark:  Yeah.  I am who I am, though._  
_Clark:  When it’s in your blood, you can’t help it_

12:17  
Kara:  Cat wants me to move to Paris for work  
_Clark:  Yeah, I heard about that_  
Kara:  How?  
_Clark:  She called Lois_

12:33  
Kara:  WHAT  
_Clark: I couldn’t believe it either_  
Kara: I don’t understand  
_Clark:  She knew you were gonna need to talk to me_  
_Clark:  She called Lois_ _  
__Clark:  Asked me to talk to you_

12:35  
Kara:  I’m sorry, I’m  
 _Clark:  Do you want to go?_  
Kara:  I don’t know  
Kara:  Maybe but

12:36  
Kara:  Who would take care of National City while I was gone  
Kara:  I couldn't ask you to do that  
_Clark:  No but … let me see what I can do_  
Kara:  But I don't even know if I want to go

12:37  
Kara:  Wait what are you talking about  
_Clark:  I have a friend who owes me a favor_  
Kara:  Clark what are you talking about  
_Clark:  I don’t want to promise till I talk to her ok_  
Kara:  Clark WHAT  
  
1:09  
_Clark:  Listen she wants to talk to you after work_  
Kara:  Who  
_Clark:  My friend_  
Kara:  Who Clark  
_Clark:  Just meet her_

1:10  
Kara:  I’m supposed to go to Cat’s after work to talk  
_Clark:  What time_  
Kara:  Like 10  
Kara:  After her kid goes to bed  
_Clark:  Fine so you can meet her before you go over_

1:11  
Kara:  WTH Clark who  
_Clark:  Trust me she’s wonderful :)_  
_Clark:  Even if she can’t cover for you she’ll probably have some good advice_  
_Clark:  I’m not really good with women_  
Kara:  Says the guy in a long term relationship with Lois Lane

1:12  
_Clark:  Lois refused to give up_  
_Clark:  You don’t understand how persistent she is_  
_Clark:  When she wants something she is unstoppable_  
Kara:  No I think I get it

1:17  
_Clark:  So?  When and where?_  
Kara:  You’re serious  
_Clark:  As a heart attack_

1:32  
Kara:  Fine   
Kara:  Lindy’s Steakhouse, 5th and Caballero, 6:30  
Kara:  But if she isn’t a superhero I’m leaving  
Kara:  And not some crummy hero like the Human Gyroscope  
Kara:  Someone with good powers  ;)  
_Clark:  ;)_

 

******

 

Later in the afternoon, she pulled Winn aside and dragged him into one of the small conference rooms.  

“So, Cat’s sending you to Paris, huh?  Boy, the perks of being the boss’s girlfriend never end, do they?” he said archly, before she could get a word out.

“Winn, I don’t even want to go.   You have no idea what you’re talking about,” Kara snapped defensively.

“Oh, I don’t?  I didn’t walk in on you and Cat getting lovey-dovey?”

Kara sighed.  “Yes, Winn.  You did, alright?  Cat and I are in a relationship.  Or, we were.  For… for a few months.”

“You didn’t strike me as the type to sleep your way to the top,” he said bitterly.

“That’s not what happened.”  She took a breath, her fists balling up at her sides. She knew she didn’t want to take her frustration out on him, no matter how childish his behavior.  “Honestly, Winn, did you think I was going to be her assistant forever?”

Winn paused and looked at her as though the thought had never occurred to him.  

“She’s sending me to Paris to get rid of me, Winn.  It’s not a perk.”

“I wish she’d punish me by sending me to Paris.”

Kara shook her head.  “Will you stop thinking about yourself for a minute, please?  We weren’t just having sex, alright, it was an actual relationship.  And it’s not a punishment, but… we’re struggling.  For a lot of reasons that are…”  She looked at his sad, bitter face.  “...obviously pointless trying to talk to you about because you can’t sympathize with the fact that my heart is breaking right now. You’re too busy feeling sorry for yourself that I’m not with _you_.”

He looked at her in embarrassed shock.  Then after a few moments, he found the wherewithal to rearrange his expression into indignant shock.  "How can you even–?"

Kara cut him off.  "Winn, you're worse than I am at hiding your feelings."

He surrendered.  He wouldn't admit it to her, but they also both knew that this wasn't the time for that conversation.  “Look, Kara, that's not important, okay?  That’s not it.  I’m just upset that you didn’t tell me, or even James.  We’re supposed to be your best friends.”

Kara sighed.  “Well, that’s part of why we’re having problems.  Anyway, I haven’t decided whether I’m going to go, or whether I’m just going to quit.”

He looked suddenly alarmed.  “Quit?”

Kara nodded.  “Yeah, Winn.  Because that’s what happens when your boss tells you she wants you to do something and you refuse.  You have to quit.”

Winn suddenly realized what she was saying.  “I’m sorry.  Look, I’m still mad you didn’t tell me, but I get it.  And I’m sorry you’re faced with this lousy choice right now.”  He looked at her, chastened.  “Whatever you do, we’ll be here for you.”

“Thanks.  But listen, don’t say anything to anyone right now, okay?  I don’t know what I’m going to do.”

 

******

 

The rest of the day sped by.  Cat wasn’t asking her for much, actually.  It was weird to feel like they were deliberately avoiding each other.  But after this morning’s bombshell, it was difficult to think of a conversation that wouldn’t end in tears, so they both tried to go about their business in a minimalist way.  At one point, Kara ran down to the art department and found a small pile of M&M’s on her desk when she came back.  She ran off to the bathroom to scrape herself together and spent several minutes working on not crying.

She called Alex after that.  Alex, in full big-sister mode, offered to come by the office and give Cat a shovel talk.  Kara assured her that it would be largely disappointing, since Cat Grant was no stranger to being on the receiving end of death threats, especially since she started dating a superhero.   “Besides,” she added, “I haven’t decided if I’m going or not.”

Alex was stunned into a momentary silence.  “Kara, you can’t put up with this.  You have to quit.  Honestly, the DEO could use you full time.  You don’t need that job.”

 _Yes, I do,_ Kara thought.  “Does the DEO have a Paris base?”

“Sure, of course, but you can’t be seriously–”

“I told you, Alex.  I don’t know what I’m going to do.  I’m trying to figure out my options now, that’s all.”

Alex sighed.  “Well, whatever you do, Kara, you know I’ll support you.”  There was a pause.  “But for the record, I really, really want you to quit, and I want you to let me kick her ass into the next galactic sector.”

 

****************************

 

Kara had chosen Lindy’s out of habit.  She and Cat had had so many drinks there after work, and it was where Cat had first officially asked her out.  It was as if her brain was too numb to think of anyplace else.  And it was, more or less, home turf.  If she was going to meet some stranger to talk about something intensely personal, it might as well be someplace she felt comfortable.

When she walked in, she realized she didn’t know exactly who she was looking for. As she scanned the room, she found a slightly older, dark-haired woman in jeans and a leather jacket locking eyes with her.  Women never flirted with her at Lindy’s, so it had to be Clark’s friend.  She was gorgeous, and part of her felt mildly annoyed with Clark; she wondered if this was some sort of blind date.

The woman got up and walked over with a confident, quick stride.  “Kara Danvers?”

Kara nodded.

The woman tossed her thick, black waves over her shoulder and smiled.  “Diana Prince,” she said warmly, and took Kara’s hand to shake it.  

 _Wow, what a grip,_ Kara thought.  She tightened her grip in response.  And Diana tightened hers.  Kara saw Diana smile as the recognition dawned on Kara’s face that she was, in fact, face to face with another person with gifts like her own.  She immediately felt at ease, and not just because she was dealing with someone like herself. Diana had an openness, an ease to her energy, something about her made Kara feel like telling her the truth.  “Good to meet you,”  she said, and meant it.

Diana released her hand.  “So, wanna sit down, get some beers, and tell me what’s up?”

Kara nodded enthusiastically.  It suddenly sounded like the best idea she’d heard all day.

She had a million questions for Diana:  Was she from another planet too?  Did she always know she had powers?  What were they?  Did she date?  Was she able to have normal relationships?  Did she find it hard managing a secret identity? Did she ever get tired of it?  Did she ever date another person with powers or was it always regular humans?  

Diana answered all her questions with the same relaxed, amused look.  Kara wondered if it was just the extra ten or so years that she’d had to grow into her skin, or if it was different for her because she’d always known what she was.

Clark’s flat-footedness when he was in civilian clothes wasn’t entirely an act, after all.  There was something about the constant hiding and lying that seemed to make him awkward and ungainly and make him say all the wrong things.  The physical clumsiness was an act, of course, but the rest of it was real; Kara knew it was the same for her.  This Diana seemed to have a handle on things in a way that neither of the children of Krypton had quite managed.

After finally satisfying all of Kara’s questions, Diana ordered some more beers and pressed her:  “So, why do you need to leave National City?”

Kara sighed.  “Well, I… I’ve been asked to … I’m being _sent_ to… to Paris.  My boss.  My girlfriend.  Ugh….”  She put her head down on the table for a moment and tried to collect herself to tell the story more coherently.  “I’m in a relationship with my boss.  We’re both feeling the strain of this whole secret identity thing.  I’m just torn in a million directions.  And the other night, we... faced a professional conflict that was a big identity crisis for both of us.  And she thinks we need to separate for a while.”

Diana nodded.  “Well, that’s a tough situation.  You don’t want to just quit?”

Kara shook her head.  “No.  I love my job.  It’s important.”

“So if you don’t want to quit, you have to go to Paris, unless you can talk her out of it.”

“Basically.”

Diana shook her head.  “It’s tough, being in a relationship with your boss.  I’ve never done it, but I’ve seen friends do it and I’d never recommend it, ideally.”

Kara sighed.  “You sound just like my sister.”  She drank some of her beer and wiped the foam off her lips with a napkin.  “But it’s like … we bring out good things in each other.  She’s given me so much good advice that’s changed my life – literally – and made me a better journalist and a better, um, superhero … and I know that I make her … more…”   Kara struggled for a moment to explain.  “She’s a hard one, you know?  She’s a tough woman, she has a lot of hard edges and she’s so … she’s so harsh on everyone around her, because I guess that’s how you get to have an empire, but… but I make her more…”

“More human?”  Diana supplied with a little smirk.

Kara chuckled mirthlessly.  “Yeah, I guess so.”  She was idly making little connecting rings on the tabletop with the moisture on the bottom of her glass, thinking for a few moments.  “It isn’t just the job, you know?  It’s the whole thing.  It’s being Supergirl.  It’s being a journalist.  It’s being someone’s girlfriend but not being able to call myself that or act like that or tell my friends that.  It’s wanting something different, but not knowing what exactly.  I haven’t decided if I’m going to go or not, but something obviously needs to change.”

Diana took a napkin and wiped up Kara’s beer-glass artwork.  “It sounds like you’ve been unhappy for a while.”

Kara nodded.  “I think I have.”

Diana sighed.  “Well, you don’t have to decide right now, but… Clark’s a friend of mine, and you seem cut from the same cloth, if you’ll forgive the cliche.  I understand you not wanting to walk away from a responsibility you’ve taken on.  My situation is a little more flexible than yours, so… if you do decide you want to go, I can look after National City for a little while.  Not forever, mind you, but … if you need a few months in Paris… or somewhere else… to sort yourself out, I’d be glad to help you out.”

 _Or somewhere else._  That hadn’t even occurred to her.  She could quit and just go somewhere, anywhere, for a while.  Get away from everything and remake herself.   

Diana considered her for a moment.  “Paris is beautiful, you know.  It’s not like she’s exiling you to Mogadishu.”

Kara nodded.  “I know.”  She sipped at her beer again.  “And I do speak French.”  

Diana nodded at the tabletop full of marks from bottom of Kara’s pint glass, and wiped it up again with the napkin.  “And look, I’m already cleaning up after you.”

Kara smiled.  “Well, you know, I haven’t really decided what I’m going to do yet.  I’m supposed to go to her place tonight so we can talk things over.”

Diana placed a hand on Kara’s shoulder and smiled sympathetically.  “Humans are… complicated, Kara.  It’s hard to love one, and it’s hard to be one.  They can be so small, so scared, so petty and unable to see outside the very small scope of their own worlds, unable to envision anything beyond the ends of their own noses.”

Kara nodded in agreement, feeling that, despite being Kryptonian, the description could sometimes fit her just as well.

“But,” Diana went on, “many of them are capable of greatness.  Heroism.  Selflessness.  Some humans are brave, strong, capable of the kind of great love that’s worth remembering in songs, plays, films, poetry.  That generosity of heart is something that I think your cousin possesses, and I think you do too.”

Kara looked shyly down at her hands for a moment, and then back at Diana.

“And I don’t know your lover, but maybe, just maybe she’s capable of that too.  Maybe this is how you find out.”  
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              


End file.
